Greg Nottingham (Fleming 2006) stood at the conductor’s podium in the NASREC dome, preparing to lead a 20-piece orchestra through the UEFA Champions League anthem. The 3000-strong audience marked the culmination of an unlikely musical journey that began nearly two decades earlier at St John‘s College.
Greg started his musical journey late at St John’s, diving straight into Grade 4 piano at the end of Lower IV to qualify for matric music. While he had learned the basics of recorder, guitar, vocals and drums at school, none resonated enough to become his main instrument. Despite feeling behind his classmates, he was consistently encouraged by teachers Dr Ben Oosthuizen, Cameron Upchurch and Sidumo Nyamezele.
Greg’s passion has always been film scores. He was drawn to composers like Vangelis, Hans Zimmer, James Horner and, particularly, John Williams, whose work on ET, Star Wars and Jurassic Park showed how music could tell stories without words. Film composition appealed to him because it focused on artistic expression over fame or accolades.
After matriculating in 2006, Greg studied Sound Engineering at the Academy of Sound Engineering in Auckland Park. During his holidays from Upper IV through matric, he interned at Jazzworx studios under Robin Kohl. This hands-on experience proved invaluable.
When he graduated, Robin offered him a full-time position. Greg accepted and remained there for more than 16 years.
At Jazzworx, Greg built a diverse portfolio. He composed television themes for shows like The Real Housewives and Clash of the Choirs, created dramatic scores for MNet’s television dramas including Grootboom and Sons, and wrote the full orchestral score for the Showmax original film The Winning Ticket. His work on the television drama Mamelo earned him a SAFTA nomination for Best Music in a Television Drama in 2018.
In 2025, Robin approached Greg about heading the orchestra department for the Heineken House UEFA Champions League Final event. The assignment required arranging music for a 20-piece orchestra that would perform alongside top South African artists including Daliwonga, Kwesta, Anatii, KO, Nkosazana Daughter and Blxckie. Greg was responsible for arranging the UEFA Champions League theme (composed by Tony Britton and based on Handel’s Zadok the Priest) and for creating original orchestral arrangements to accompany the artists’ performances.
The project had a two-week deadline. Greg was responsible for all arrangements, digital mockups, orchestration, part preparation and conducting. He wrote orchestral arrangements that complemented, rather than competed with, the five-piece band also performing. The work involved mapping out the entire hour-long show on a single timeline, with bar counts extending over 1 000—something many orchestra members had never encountered before.
A particularly meaningful moment came when Greg arranged the orchestral interlude for Run Jozi, a track by his St John’s classmate Kiernan Forbes (AKA) and KO. Kiernan was murdered in February 2023, making this performance both a professional assignment and a personal tribute to his friend. Greg created a cinematic arrangement that honoured the original song while developing its main musical theme.
The performance required precise synchronisation between all performers. Everything was mapped to a synchronised timeline, with a click-track played in everyone’s earpieces to ensure proper timing.
Although Greg had never officially conducted on stage before, he found the performance itself less stressful than the preparation weeks. He received guidance from experienced colleagues, including cellist, arranger and conductor Kutlwano Masote (Nash 1991), and Adam Howard, trumpeter, composer and leader of the Joburg Big Band.
The UEFA performance has opened new opportunities for Greg. He has since been asked to arrange a string section for Tresor’s performance at the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz in September. More importantly, the experience gave him the confidence that no orchestra or show is too large to handle.
Greg credits several of his St John’s teachers with influencing his musical development. He acknowledges Ben Oosthuizen and Cameron Upchurch for their teaching and ongoing support, Sidumo Nyamezele for his energy in choir engagements, Allan Thomson for his fascinating music history classes, and Mark Johnston for being a supportive housemaster.
Recently, Greg returned to St John’s as the only non-teacher Old Johannian to officially join the school orchestra, playing cello under Hendri Liebenberg’s direction.
Greg’s advice to current St John’s students reflects his own journey: “Don’t turn your nose up at seemingly inane tasks such as interning at a studio and offering tea and coffee. Listen keenly and ask questions. Be kind and engage with people, no matter how insignificant you think a task may be. Never stop believing in who you are and what you are capable of.”
The values of Lux Vita Caritas, along with trust in the process of life, have guided his path — from a late-starting piano student at St John’s to conducting at one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events. His journey shows that success often comes not from early advantages, but from persistence, humility and the willingness to start at the bottom and work one’s way up.